Agriculture Daily News 10/30

The so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a stew of plastic and marine debris that floats an estimated 1,000 miles west of San Francisco, is a shape-shifting mass far too large, delicate and remote to ever be cleaned up, according to a researcher who recently returned from the area. But the government is considering plans to try to clean up the mess, including flying unmanned planes over to survey the area. The debris - which he estimates weighs 3 million tons and covers an area twice the size of Texas - is made up mostly of fine plastic chips and is impossible to skim out of the ocean. The sun breaks down the plastics into small pieces and, in some cases, into particles as fine as dust, which fish confuse as food. SF Chronicle 10/30/07

 

This year's Central Valley fall salmon run is worrying both fishermen and biologists, who say fewer of the prized chinook are out in the ocean or making it up the rivers to spawn. Some runs might have as few as 20 to 25 percent of the fish normally expected by this time of year, data show. The salmon run could just be a little late this year, say state Fish and Game Department officials. Low levels of krill, tiny marine invertebrates that the fish eat, could be to blame, or low river flow. SF Chronicle 10/30/07

 

Local environmental groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court challenging the city of Sacramento's planned annexation of 577 acres of farmland for the planned Greenbriar housing project. The groups allege that LAFCO erred when it certified the environmental review for the 3,500-home Greenbriar project and allowed the city of Sacramento to take the land into its sphere of influence - the first step toward annexation. Sacramento Bee 10/24/07

 

Santa Cruz County is planning to sue the state in an effort to prevent spraying aimed at eradicating a crop-destroying moth. The Board of Supervisors approved moving forward with a lawsuit by a 4-1 vote. The suit against the California Department of Food and Agriculture is expected to be filed on Wednesday. SJ Mercury 10/29/07’

Inadequate agricultural inspections at U.S. points of entry have caused members of Congress to express grave concern about the nation's increased vulnerability to invasive pests and diseases. Testimony before a House Agriculture subcommittee outlined just how badly the system is broken since border agricultural inspections were transferred in March 2003 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Department of Homeland Security. The hearing on the current inspection problems underscored calls for transferring agricultural inspections from DHS back to USDA. California Farm Bureau Federation 10/24/07

 

A broad smoking ban takes effect next month in Belmont, between San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The anti-smoking ordinance, one of the strictest in the nation, makes it illegal to smoke in parks, outdoor eateries, doorways, construction sites and even in private apartments. A ban on smoking within twenty feet of any doorway or window effectively restricts most of the city's sidewalks. Critics fear the measure will keep visitors outside of Belmont’s shops and restaurants. AFP 10/30/07